Known primarily for his fortitude in the IM and mid-distance freestyle events, Japan’s Kosuke Hagino recently made an impact in the 1500m distance at the 2015 Japan Open in May of this year…in more ways than one.

The Japanese star raced his way to a first-place finish in the grueling distance freestyle event in a time of 15:05.35, ranking Hagino 15th in the world in an event the powerhouse rarely swims. Impressive enough in itself, to be sure.

But, what is perhaps more impressive, is the fact that 20-year old actually paused swimming for a few moments during the race. As seen in the Japanese video, coming off a turn early on in the race, Hagino coasted off the wall and floated for a brief period while he adjusted his goggles. No strokes were taken for a couple of seconds while he fixed his goggles, yet he would go on to win the Japanese Open title in the event.

Still clocking a personal best and beating the competition by over three seconds even with a wardrobe malfunction? Stud status.

About Loretta Race

After 16 years at a Fortune 1000 financial company, long-time swimmer Retta Race decided to change lanes and pursue her sporting passion. She currently is Coach for the Northern KY Swordfish Masters, a team she started up in December 2013, while also offering private coaching. Retta is also an MBA …